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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. â It might be the most important question regarding the entire College Football Playoff: Whatâs the mood of the University of Alabama football team?
The Crimson Tide players are being asked almost exclusively about one of two defeats, the season-ending Iron Bowl or the 2017 National Championship Game against Clemson. They havenât played for a month, and there has been widespread criticism thatâs only snowballed over time.
So, is the team mad? Sad? Glad? Is it wounded or hungry?
Junior defensive end DaâRon Payne had a different word in mind, one that Crimson Tide fans should be excited about.
Eager.
âI think weâre just ready to go out there and prove ourselves and just show the world what we can do, that weâre not just a team thatâs going to lay down,â he said. âWeâre going to come out and fight.â
For the most part, Alabamaâs been quiet this season, in part because it didnât see any point in adding any bulletin-board material prior to games. However, the same canât be said for some of the Crimson Tideâs opponents.
Remember Florida Stateâs president before the season opener, with âI shouldnât talk too much trash, but I think weâre gonna beat Alabama pretty bad.â The Seminoles lost the game, lost their quarterback and have since lost their coach as Jimbo Fisher bolted for Texas A&M.
How about Vanderbilt senior defensive lineman Nifae Lealao? After the Commodores pulled off an upset over visiting No. 18 Kansas State, he said the wrong thing during a brief postgame interview on the field.
âWe expected to get this,â he said. âWhen you come to our house we show you how to play some SEC ball.
âAlabama, youâre next.â
The final score a week later: 66-0.
Ole Miss didnât even have to say anything.
The Crimson Tide still remembered the back-to-back losses to the Rebels, 23-17 and 43-37 in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and fans storming the field at VaughtâHemingway Stadium.
Nick Saban had warned everyone by saying that the ultimate disrespect is when âsomeone quietly thinks they have your number.â
Alabamaâs answer was 66-3.
For the last month, though, everyoneâs been heaping on to the Crimson Tide, from the running game to passing defense, just about everyone has been universally criticized like the first 11 wins didnât happen. Even Saban has shown annoyance at questions about the play calling.
Thatâs on top of the Iron Bowl, not playing in the SEC Championship Game and the controversial selection into the College Football Playoff. Getting another shot at Clemson would be enough motivation for any team, but Alabama can pick and choose.
Senior linebacker Rashaan Evans said Alabama has had its best practices in a long while. Junior tight end Hale Hentges used the word âhungry.â Sophomore linebacker Anfernee Jennings talked, as former player D.J. Fluker would have put it, like someone took his lunch money.
âYou seen the vote,â said Jennings, his emotions rising while trying to explain it. âYou seen how everybody was. We all we got. So we understand that, and weâre going to do what we have to do.
âWeâre ready to get after it.â
Continue reading...
The Crimson Tide players are being asked almost exclusively about one of two defeats, the season-ending Iron Bowl or the 2017 National Championship Game against Clemson. They havenât played for a month, and there has been widespread criticism thatâs only snowballed over time.
So, is the team mad? Sad? Glad? Is it wounded or hungry?
Junior defensive end DaâRon Payne had a different word in mind, one that Crimson Tide fans should be excited about.
Eager.
âI think weâre just ready to go out there and prove ourselves and just show the world what we can do, that weâre not just a team thatâs going to lay down,â he said. âWeâre going to come out and fight.â
For the most part, Alabamaâs been quiet this season, in part because it didnât see any point in adding any bulletin-board material prior to games. However, the same canât be said for some of the Crimson Tideâs opponents.
Remember Florida Stateâs president before the season opener, with âI shouldnât talk too much trash, but I think weâre gonna beat Alabama pretty bad.â The Seminoles lost the game, lost their quarterback and have since lost their coach as Jimbo Fisher bolted for Texas A&M.
How about Vanderbilt senior defensive lineman Nifae Lealao? After the Commodores pulled off an upset over visiting No. 18 Kansas State, he said the wrong thing during a brief postgame interview on the field.
âWe expected to get this,â he said. âWhen you come to our house we show you how to play some SEC ball.
âAlabama, youâre next.â
The final score a week later: 66-0.
Ole Miss didnât even have to say anything.
The Crimson Tide still remembered the back-to-back losses to the Rebels, 23-17 and 43-37 in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and fans storming the field at VaughtâHemingway Stadium.
Nick Saban had warned everyone by saying that the ultimate disrespect is when âsomeone quietly thinks they have your number.â
Alabamaâs answer was 66-3.
For the last month, though, everyoneâs been heaping on to the Crimson Tide, from the running game to passing defense, just about everyone has been universally criticized like the first 11 wins didnât happen. Even Saban has shown annoyance at questions about the play calling.
Thatâs on top of the Iron Bowl, not playing in the SEC Championship Game and the controversial selection into the College Football Playoff. Getting another shot at Clemson would be enough motivation for any team, but Alabama can pick and choose.
Senior linebacker Rashaan Evans said Alabama has had its best practices in a long while. Junior tight end Hale Hentges used the word âhungry.â Sophomore linebacker Anfernee Jennings talked, as former player D.J. Fluker would have put it, like someone took his lunch money.
âYou seen the vote,â said Jennings, his emotions rising while trying to explain it. âYou seen how everybody was. We all we got. So we understand that, and weâre going to do what we have to do.
âWeâre ready to get after it.â
Continue reading...
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